During any given term or summer, you have the option to participate in UROP on a paid or credit basis, but you may not receive both pay and credit for the same UROP project in the same term. Likewise, paid UROPs must be funded by a single source in a given term (e.g. either fully funded by UROP or fully funded by faculty) and faculty cannot supplement UROP funded wages to pay a student more than the maximum UROP award or more than the standard UROP hourly rate.

Also, while UROP research may evolve into thesis work, students may not earn UROP pay or credit for thesis work in a term in which they are registered for thesis credit.

UROP participation options are detailed below.

Academic Credit:

UROP credit is general elective credit. In most departments, you have the option for either letter grade (Course#.URG) or pass/fail grading (Course#.UR). However, in Courses 6, 8, 16, 18, Concourse, and ESG only UR pass/fail grading is available.

Credit UROP Details

• Decide the proper grading option/subject number and unit total for your UROP in consultation with your faculty supervisor – options vary according to your faculty supervisor’s academic department and its credit policies. See the Online Subject Listing and Schedule for subjects numbers by department. UROP subject numbers are Course#.UR (pass/fail) or Course#.URG (letter grading).

• Submit your UROP application by the credit UROP deadline for the term.
• Register the credit. You must add (register) UROP credit as you would a class, no later than the Drop Date for the given semester.
• If you decide to cancel (drop) your Credit UROP, remember to Drop it from your registration no later than Drop Date and to cancel your UROP application in the online system or send email to urop@mit.edu.

Credit Outside Semesters

• IAP: Register for the credit as in other terms, but note that UROP credit counts toward the 12-unit IAP credit limit. 
• Summer UROP: Summer session UROP credit registration is required in addition to submission of your online UROP application. Undergraduates (whether remote or on-campus) will have the option to register for the summer session and receive credit for UROP at no cost up to 18 units. (Note that tuition will be charged per unit for credit earned above 18 units).
  
  Academic departments may set a cap on the number of units for their UROP subjects, but the cap may not exceed 18 units. Departments will also determine whether students receive a letter grade or whether grading will be pass/fail for UROP subjects. Note that this summer tuition waiver does not apply to non-UROP subjects. For summer UROP work taking place outside of Massachusetts and internationally, please note this important information.

Paid UROP

You have two paid UROP options and different application deadlines apply based on the type of funding.

• Faculty/Department Funding (sponsored research): Funding from faculty, department and lab resources.
• UROP Direct Funding (funds from UROP Office): Requests for UROP direct funding may be for hourly pay, materials and services, UROP-related travel, or a combination thereof. However, please note that UROP office funding is not guaranteed, so please discuss alternate options with your supervisor.

NOTE: paid UROPs must be funded by a single source in a given term (e.g. either fully funded by UROP or fully funded by faculty) and faculty cannot supplement UROP funded wages to pay a student more than the maximum UROP award or more than the standard UROP hourly rate.

For summer UROP work taking place outside of Massachusetts and internationally, please note see the important information on the Remote Appointment Guidance page.

Also note that Wellesley College students are not eligible for UROP Direct Funding – instead they must be paid by faculty/department resources. In cases where faculty/department pay is not available, Wellesley College students should explore options that Wellesley makes available to their students – details can be found on the Wellesley College Science Center Student Research and Funding Opportunities page.

If you are a Wellesley international student choosing to pursue a paid research opportunity at MIT UROP, please consult with the Slater International Center to obtain proper off-campus work authorization  at least 2 weeks before beginning any paid research opportunity at MIT.

Paid UROP participants are eligible for a transcript notation that reflects research participation (Course#.URN). URN notations are awarded by faculty supervisors at the end of the term, provided that you have made satisfactory progress and worked a total of 80 hours or more in the given term.

Paid UROP Details

UROP’s minimum hourly rate is $16.00. Faculty who fund UROPs via their own lab or departmental resources may choose to pay more than the standard UROP rate, however they may not pay less than the UROP minimum.

For the 2025-2026 academic year, maximum UROP office direct funding awards (pay from UROP office resources) for fall and spring will be $2,400 (150 total hours) and $7,680 (480 total hours) for the summer – paid at the $16.00/hr rate. Faculty who pay UROP students from their own resources are not held to the above total hour maximums, but must pay UROP students at least $16.00/hr.

NOTE: Due to cost sharing regulations paid UROPs must be funded by a single source in a given term (e.g. either fully funded by UROP or fully funded by faculty). Faculty cannot supplement UROP funded wages to pay a student more than the maximum UROP award or more than the standard UROP hourly rate.

AY25-26 UROP Pay Period Start & End Dates

• Fall 2025 pay period: September 2, 2025 – January 4, 2026
• IAP 2026 pay period: January 5, 2026 – February 1, 2026
• Spring 2026 pay period: February 2, 2026 – May 31, 2026. Note: however, that graduating seniors must end spring UROPs before Commencement.
• Summer 2026 pay period: June 1, 2026 – September 6, 2026

Paid UROP To-Do List/Checklist

1. Complete your I-9. As soon as you accept a paid UROP position and before you start working on your UROP.  Be sure to complete your I-9 and payroll tax withholding forms with MIT (if you have not done so previously). Complete details can be found on the Student Employment site. You need only complete the I-9 once with MIT.
2. Set up direct deposit. Complete the online Direct Deposit Preferences for Payroll via Atlas under the “About Me” tab in the Money Matters section. MIT pays students by direct deposit, so paychecks will be deposited electronically to the account you designate.
3. Submit your UROP application.  Applications must be submitted no later than the applicable term deadline. 
4. Contact your UROP payroll coordinator.  Once your UROP is approved, immediately contact your UROP department’s payroll coordinator (contact information is contained in approval email) in order to be activated for submission of ATLAS time sheets and to review deadlines for weekly timesheet submission, etc. You MUST report your worked hours on a WEEKLY BASIS or your pay will be delayed. YOU are responsible for keeping track of your cumulative earnings toward your UROP maximum and may not work more than the hours allocated.
5. Note term start and end dates. This is the period for which you are approved to receive UROP pay. If you plan to continue into another semester – a new application and approval is required. Term start and end dates for each semester are listed above.
6. See the UROP Pay: What You Need to Know page for complete details on UROP pay policies and procedures.

UROP Office Direct Funding Priorities

In alignment with UROP’s strategic plan, we have refined the principles and prioritization of “direct funding” allocation to UROP applicants. 

Funding priority will be given to students that meet certain criteria, as outlined below:

1. Students with financial need. All scholarship recipients are eligible for the Institute’s guarantee of one paid UROP semester. Each fall, IAP (eligibility limited to first-time first-year students), and spring, we will work with Student Financial Services to identify eligible students who have not yet received UROP funding; these students will be given first priority for direct funding.
2. Students pursuing their first UROP opportunity. This should have a positive impact on first-year applicants, who already participate in substantial numbers.
3. Students who have never participated in a paid UROP opportunity (e.g. students who have only participated in UROP for academic credit). Students who previously received funding from faculty/DLCs will not be included.

Other Considerations

• Relative experience. For example, a direct funding applicant with only one prior paid UROP may get priority over a student with five prior paid UROPs.
• Fit with restricted funding. For instance, Course 2 students eligible for a mechanical engineering-focused UROP Fund may be at an advantage for direct funding consideration.
• Support for under-resourced areas or faculty. (E.g. new faculty, SHASS).

UROP Transcript Notation

Paid UROP participants are eligible for a transcript notation that reflects their research participation. URN notations are awarded in the faculty supervisor’s academic department (Course#.URN) following the end of the term, provided that you have made satisfactory progress and worked a total or 80 hours more in the semester. NOTE: Summer UROPs are automatically pre-registered/registered for URN and will receive the notation in early fall, provided that they successfully complete their summer UROP.